What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPropanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Butyroyl Hyaluronate
HumectantPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningCetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTamarindus Indica Seed Gum
Emulsion Stabilising
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate
Skin ConditioningMyristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Chloride
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglucuronic Acid
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Butyroyl Hyaluronate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Betaine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Yeast Extract, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Lecithin, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Magnesium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglucuronic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 is a texture enhancer and pH adjuster.
It is be used to thicken water-based products and create a gel-texture with a velvet feel.
One manufacturer claims this ingredient to have a pH range of 2-8 and to be biodegradable.
This ingredient is also known as Sepimax Zen.
Learn more about Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is a crosslinked version of sodium hyaluronate. This just means it's linked into a 3D mesh network that lets it be more stable and sit on skin as a cohesive, gel-like film rather than sinking into skin.
A 2016 human skin study found crosslinked HA increased epidermal water content by 7.6% over the control group and reduced transepidermal water loss by 27.8%.
A follow-up clinical trial found that a topical crosslinked HA serum applied after fillers, microneedling, or chemical peels was well-tolerated and enhanced skin quality at 14 / 28 days.
More recent research suggests that concentrations as low as 0.03% can act as a penetration enhancer for other skincare actives.
Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate CrosspolymerWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
